Music Review: inhale (exhale) by MercyMe

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Many good tracks

Cons: A few odd choices had to grow on me

The Bottom Line:

Took some time to grow

But I’m appreciating

Breath in and listen

It Took a Deep Breath, and a Listen or Two, for Me to Fully Appreciate MercyMe’s Latest

I’ve found that I’ve become a bigger fan of MercyMe the longer I’ve listened to their music.  Their lyrics are connecting with me more, and their rock style is growing on me.  However, when I got inhale (exhale), their release from last year, I had to set it aside a couple of times before I could fully appreciate it.  Now, I’m not completely sure why.

Okay, so part of the reason why might have been the throwback sound.  Growing up in the 80’s, I was too young for the disco sound of the 70’s, but that is back on a couple of the tracks here.  The most obvious is “Brand New,” a celebration of the new life we get in Christ.  Appropriately enough, Gloria Gaynor joins them on this track.  The other track that really has a 70’s vibe for me is “Whiplash.”  This is a fun song about trying to live a life for Christ while still looking back at your sin.  Yes, I said fun, but it is also convicting.

Among the other odd at first choices here is including a short demo of the song “Then Christ Came.”  I’m not sure why they did that since it seems like a great idea that could grow into a full-length song.  Maybe we’ll see that on their next release.  Then there’s the title duo.  The disc opens with “Inhale” and ends with “Exhale.”  Both of these are also short songs that talk about resting in God during trials.

I think it was some of these choices that made me take a little longer to get into this disc.  And don’t think that this is nothing but weird choices.  There are plenty of soon to be classic MercyMe songs here.  One of my favorites is “Bright Side of Broken,” which reminds us that God can work in the middle of our hard times.  It’s a great ballad, and it addresses the pain we can feel in a way that doesn’t come across as a cliché.

Another favorite is “Blessed.”  The first full length song here, it’s got a great beat.  You’ll be smiling and singing it in no time.  Another fun song is “Uh Oh (Here I Go),” which talks about jumping in and living for God.

Don’t let my talk about short songs worry you.  There are sixteen tracks, so even with a few short tracks, we still get plenty of new music.

I’m glad I kept coming back to inhale (exhale).  While it didn’t grab me right away, there is enough good music here to make MercyMe fans happy.

CD Length: 48:40

Tracks:

1. Inhale

2. Blessed

3. On Our Way (Featuring Sam Wesley)

4. So Yesterday

5. A Little Love (Featuring Gary LeVox)

6. Whiplash

7. Bright Side of Broken

8. Let Yourself be Loved

9. Hurry Up and Wait

10. Brand New (Featuring Gloria Gaynor)

11. Uh Oh (Here I Go)

12. The Moment

13. Then Christ Came (Demo)

14. Say I Won’t

15. Almost Home

16. Exhale